Car-coupling



(No Model.)

J. N. MAAR an W. H. HARRIS.

' OUPLING.

No'. 18.` Z Patented May 20, 1890.

Fzll' a8 fig. 2.

UNITED STATES PATENTv OFFICE.

JAMES N. MARTIN AND VILLIAM HAMILTON HARRIS, OF NEVBERRY, SOUTH CAROLINA.

oAR-ooUPLlNe.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,118, dated May 20, 1890.

Application filed December 16, 1889. Serial No. 333,965. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES N. MARTIN and WILLIAM HAMILTON HARRIS, citizens of the United States, residing at Newberry, in

the county of Newberry and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,

Io such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in car-couplings of the I5 class known as twin jaw-couplers, to which class Letters Patent Nos. 372,037 and 398,523, granted to us October 25, 1887, and February 26, 1888, belong; and our present invention consists Inore particularly in certain improvezo ments therein, whereby they are adapted to couple on curves, are given a larger bearing surface, and are strengthened, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring` to the accompanying drawings,

in which corresponding parts are designated by similar letters, Figure l is a central section of a coupler constructed according to our invention, taken on the vertical plane of the longitudinal axis thereof or of the line x of 3o Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 'y y of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on line e of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. d is a perspective view of the hook.

The draw-bar A has across the forward por- 3 5 tion of the interior thereof a horizontal web A', which divides the interior thereof into a lower and an upper recess a a, respectively, the web A having a portion of one side of its forward face concaved, as at a2, to afford'a 4o central bearing for the hook-barrel B in bufng, while the remaining portion of the said forward face is in line with the top and bottom a3 of the draw-head, thus forming an additional and central point, on which the buffing-face b of the hook of a corresponding coupler may bear. Ears at are formed on the top and bottom c3 of the draw-head, on the same side thereof as is the concavity a2 of the web, while a guard-arm a5 extends from the top to the bottom of the draw-head upon the 5o opposite side. The ears a4 have arc-shaped shoulders a on the inner sides, the concavity of these shoulders corresponding to the concavity of the web at a2, and serve to support the ends of the barrel B of the hook in butfing. The barrel B of the hook B is pivoted between the ears d by the pivot-pin D, and has a bifurcated shank formed on that side thereof which is to the rear when the hook is locked in the draw-head, the forks b and b 6o of which the said shank is composed normally resting within the recesses a a', respectively, while the central portion b2 of the barrel D rests against the concavity a2 of the web A the upper and lower ends of the barrel resting against the shoulder as, as has been hereinbefore stated, thus strengthening the hook against bufiing strains.

The forward arm b3 of the hook, which is formed upon the barrel at or about right an- 7o gles to the bifurcated shank, has a plurality of slots b4 formed therein and opposite the forks b b', and is of greater breadth than the barrel B', thus forming shoulders b5 b5 at the top and bottom, which extend upward and downward to or about the level of the upper surface of the top a3 and lower surface of the bottom a3 of the draw-bar, respectively, the said shoulders having a concaved face struck with a slightly' greater radius from the pivot- 8o pin D than are the convexed forward sur faces cT of the ears a4, around which they revolve. W'e by preference construct the forward arm b3 of greater breadth than is the general practice in couplers of the same class 8 5 at the present time, thus affording a greater buffing surface h6 upon the forward face of lthe forward arm of the hook and permitting us to couple cars provided with our couplers when the couplers thereof are upon hori- 9o zontal planes which are at a greater distance apart than is now possible, and it also permits us to form the hereinbefore-described plurality of slots b4 therein, whereby c ars equipped with couplers of the so-called linkand-pin type may be more readily attached to cars having our invention applied thereto, and it is not necessary to move the link through as great a vertical distance as has been previously the case.

Ie are enabled to use a hook of greater breadth than is usually employed, from the fact that the bifurcated shank thereof may be made of a correspondingly greater breadth without giving it an undue weight, while any strain which may be transmitted through the links inserted in the slots ZI* will be transmitted directly to the fork l) or b opposite thereto. strengthened by the use of the web A.

The forward faces of the rear ends of the forks b b have faces bs, which, when the? beveledfaces b", the total length of the lower fork being slightly greater than that of the upper. one.

A latch C, consisting of a bar,.is pivotcd in the `longitudinal slot a8 in t-he top of the draw head, and extends through the longitudinal slots a in the web A and bottom ai thereof to below the latter, Where it may be connected to any approved device for withdawing it from a vertical position, in which it is normally held by gravity, backward in the said slots a", which are in line with the longitudinal axis w 0c of the draw-bar, the pivotal point of the latchbeing forward of the rear end of the forks l1 h and above the faces bgformed thereon. ltends through the draw-bar in order to render it lighter, while a vertical hole D2 is formed in the forward arm b3 of thehook, through which apin may be inserted in coupling with cars having couplers of the link-and!` pin type, both of which are well known.

In our invention, as in all couplers of the hereinbefore-mentioned type to which it belongs, the hook swings upon its pivot-pin in uncoupling to a position in which the hook, of the corresponding coupler may be freely withdrawn, and in coupling thehook is forced back into its original position, the forks b D entering the recesses a a in the draw-bar until their motion is stopped by the rear walls of the `said recesses or by any other stops which may be provided. In thus entering the draw-`head in coupling the beveled faces b of the forks strike the latch and force it backward out of a vertical line; but when thefacc haof the upper fork passes the longitudinal axis of the coupler, which will be before the mot-ion of the hook is completed, the lat-ch will drop in front thereof, taking thc position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l and `preventing the withdrawal of the said fork. This will frequently happen in coupling on curves, as in such cases the hook is not fully The draw-head is also ygreatly,

A longitudinal perforation D efeV forced within the draw-head. If the rotation of the hook is now continued, the face D8 of the lower fork l1 will also pass behind the longitudinal axis afr, when the latch will again, nnderthe influence of gravity, assumeV a vertical position, as is shown in Fig. 1, in front of the faces D of both of the forks l) and l1', locking them fully within the drawhead. If the latch be now withdrawn from its vertical position, the hook will be again free to swing outward and uncouple.

In Fig. 3, for the better illustration of our invention, we have shown the faces 118 of the two forks of the shank out ofthe same verticalplane, but in an exaggerated degree, and it will be understood that in practice the difference in the planes of the said faces may be slight.

Having now described our invention, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is-n l. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-bar having a web across the interior thereof, a hook having a bifurcated shank pivotally attached to the said draw-bar, and means for lockingthehook against rotation, as and for the purposes described.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-bar having a web across the interior thereof, a hook having a bifurcated shank pivotally attached to the said draw-bar, the forks of the saidshank resting upon either side of the said web, and means for locking both of the said forks against rotation, as and for the purposes described.

3. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-bar having a web across the interior thereof, the said web being provided at its forward end with a concave bearing, a hook having a bifurcated shankpivotally attached to the draw-bar, the forks thereof resting upon either side of the said web and the central part of the said shank resting against the concavity therein, and means forllocking the hook against rotation, as and'for the purposes described.

a. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-bar, a hook having a bifurcated shank and a forward arm provided with a plurality of slots therein, the said slots being opposite the forks of the shank, and a leek adapted to lock both of the said forks against rotation, as and for the purposes described.

5. In a ear-coupler, the combination of a draw-bar, a hook having a bifureated shank pivotally attached thereto, the forward faces of the rear ends of the forks of the said shank being in different vertical planes, and a lock adapted to fall in front of the faces thereof consecutively in coupling, as and for the purposes described.

6. In a car-coupler, the combination of draw-bar having a web across the interior thereof, a hook having a bifurcated shank pivoted in the said drawbar, the forks thereof resting upon either side of the said web, the

TOO

IIO

forward faces of the rear ends of the forks the said forks consecutively in coupling, as 1o being upon different Vertical planes, a forand for the purposes described.

ward arm attached to the said hook and forrn- In testimony whereof we atlix our signatures ing a part thereof, provided with a plurality in presence of two Witnesses.

of slots, the said slots being opposite the forks JAMES N. MARTIN.

of the shank, a concave'bearing-surface upon VILLIAM HAMILTON HARRIS. the forward part of the web against which Vtnesses:

the central portion of the hook rests, and a JNO. M. KENARD,

lock adapted to fall in front of the faces of E. P. MCCLINTOOK. 

